South Stream Strengthening Ties between Russia and Europe
OREANDA-NEWS. The Gazprom headquarters hosted today a working meeting between Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Company's Management Committee and Jean-Maurice Ripert, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France to the Russian Federation.
The parties addressed the status of Russian-French partnership in the power sector and looked into the prospects for the cooperation deepening.
It was pointed out that the success in implementing such joint projects as Nord Stream and South Stream strengthened the ties between Russia and Europe and boosted the reliability of gas supply to European consumers.
Background
France is Gazprom's sixth largest market beyond the FSU after Germany, Turkey, Italy, the UK and Poland.
In 2013 Gazprom supplied 8.17 billion cubic meters of gas to France.
In 2006 Gazprom and GDF SUEZ signed the Agreement to extend the existing contracts for Russian natural gas supply to France until 2030.
Since 2010 GDF Suez has been a shareholder of Nord Stream AG responsible for the Nord Stream project. GDF Suez holds a 9 per cent stake in the company.
French EDF holds a 15 per cent stake in South Stream Transport B.V. engaged in constructing South Stream's offshore section.
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) of the Russian Federation had a meeting of the Presidium of CCI Management Board. Chaired by the CCI President Sergey Katyrin, the participants discussed acute issues connected with the organization of review for the purpose of government or municipal orders according to new law 44-FZ.
In his report, Alexander Yastrib, First Deputy President and Chairman of the Management Board of the Bank of Moscow, and Head of the CCI Procurement System Development Committee CCI RF, pointed out to the importance of independent review at all stages of fulfilment of government or municipal orders, because very often contracts would not provide necessary protection to the parties from such factors as market volatility, low quality of design and estimate documentation, etc.
Moreover, the participants, including representatives from the Moscow Department for Competition Policy, the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, the Federal Services for Fiscal and Budgetary Supervision, Higher School of Economics, and CCI RF territorial offices, noted that very often the parties to a government order would try to make the process of review formal, and in this connection the role of CCI RF as an independent expert for the purpose of enforcement of law 44-FZ should be strengthened.
“Independent review shall take place at all stages of fulfilment of government orders. In the course of performance of a contract, conditions should be created when customers would engage independent experts to confirm their costs, as well as whenever any dispute arises between the customer and the contractor,” said Alexander Yastrib. “In this regard, I believe that CCI RF as a major forum that can protect the interests of both parties to a transaction should play the key role.”
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